B7: Group B - Schroeder

Based off of the course description, “An overview of the present and future role of Information Technology in the construction industry with emphasis on the computer tools used throughout the building life cycle by all stakeholders, primarily Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the role of networked-linked sensors and actuators” this class was not what I originally expected. I thought that AE 510 would only cover buildings that have integrated technologies such as autonomous lighting or the various sensors needed for IT.  Looking back, it is refreshing to see the variety of material covered that extends the broad range of IB in eight short weeks. The first half of AE510 was much more relevant to my intended profession, but I did appreciate learning about other aspects in related fields. Specifically, after learning about databases I now have a new respect for people in the field of Big Data and the reach of their profession. In addition, I was able to relate and leverage our discussions on AI/Robots in my Honors Class this term about how MIT is building robots that are able to mimic the human physiology of proprioception.

Like others in the class, one of my favorite parts of AE 510 were the guest lecturers. Although I don’t intend to become a BIM Manager or anything specifically in the building industry,  it was pleasant to hear from professionals in their field and what they are passionate about. Furthermore, it speaks measures about Dr.Mitchell to be able to get past students to take time out of their busy schedules to return to their roots to present at Drexel.

Of all the topics covered in class, the network section of last week's class was one of my favorites. Learning about the development of IPv6 which lacks backwards compatibility with the original internet communications protocol (IPv4) was interesting to me as I know the same frustration in terms of gaming consoles. I held out on buying a PlayStation 3 for so long because of the lack of backwards compatibility for most PS2 games. I can't imagine how providers dealt with IPv6 lacking the backwards compatibility of IPv4 as some devices were not able to be upgraded to IPv6.  Without this bridge between the two, it was not an easy transition for communications.

As a future transportation engineer that focuses on bridge rehabilitation and design, I will most likely not use Revit in my future profession but this class has exposed me to plenty of other topics that I will be using in my future career. In addition, I really enjoyed the topic of my group’s final project. As this is going to be our Senior Design project next year, I liked being able to see the current technologies in autonomous housing to based our initial design on.

Overall, as one of my only AE classes I’ve taken during my collegiate career, it has definitely been a worthwhile experience.

EDIT:
Comments
1. http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/03/course-reflection-yuyang-shi.html
2. http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/02/course-reflection-farnelli.html

B5: Group B - Schroeder

SQL - What Is It and Why Important?

 As defined by sqlcourse.com, SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is used to communicate with a database. [1] This standard computer language is used to query, insert, update, and modify data in a relational database. As my fellow groupmates have already touched on the current application of SQL, I thought I would summarize its beginnings.

Dr. E.F. Codd published the paper titled “Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks", in June 1970 in the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM) journal, Communications of the ACM. [2] This paper became the cornerstone of SQL. The language, Structured English Query Language (SEQUEL) was first developed in the early 1970s at IBM. It wasn’t commercially released until 1979 by Relational Software Inc. which is now known as Oracle Corporation. This year is also when the name was shortened from SEQUEL to SQL. Since then, SQL has been set as the definitive model for RDBMS (Relational Database Management System). Oracle participates actively in the SQL standards committees which are spearheaded by two main organizations: American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards Organization (ISO).

So how does SQL work? It is a data sublanguage that translates to a relational database by processing sets of data rather than individual units. All SQL statements use the optimizer, a part of Oracle Database that determines the most efficient means of accessing the specified data. [2] SQL unifies all the tasks of querying data, controlling access to database, and updating rows in a table all through one consistent language.

In the past few years, Oracle has created an Oracle Database SQL engine which they are constantly evolving to meeting growing demands of database applications. One recent addition is the inclusion of LOBs. LOBs or large objects can now be handled by the Oracle SQL engine which is no small task as a single LOB can be up to 128 terabytes. Another important development is the built-in aggregate and analytical function which facilitates access to data in data warehouses and data marts.
In the industry, SQL has many applications. One of which is searching through a list of all the employees for a company. Using the example below [2], you can simultaneously search through thousands of employees by hire date and salary.

Overall, SQL is an effective tool for relational database management.

References:
[1] http://www.sqlcourse.com/intro.html  
[2] https://web.stanford.edu/dept/itss/docs/oracle/10g/server.101/b10759/intro002.htm  
[3] https://www.techopedia.com/definition/1245/structured-query-language-sql  
[4] https://www.augi.com/library/making-sense-of-data-interoperability-in-the-bim-world

EDIT: Comments left on Bryan's and Laura's original posts!

B4: Group B - Schroeder

Individual Projects - Viability of Autonomous Homes

For the AE510 term project, I am working with Yasmina Shields to research current technologies in the field of sustainable buildings, specifically autonomous housing. Before going deeper into our intended term paper, I wanted to see how Philadelphia compares to the rest of the U.S. on this topic.

“When it comes to sustainable housing, the city of Philadelphia ranks fourteenth in the nation according to a recent Environmental Protection Agency report. Fortunately, that’s starting to change.” [1] In the next four years, there are already five LEED Platinum projects to be constructed in residential areas. One of the most notable projects will be the abandoned block at 17th and Carpenter Streets. Once a line of abandoned warehouses, it will soon be home to eleven town houses, six condos, and a corner commercial space all built to LEED Platinum standard. We hope to incorporate future projects like these into our final paper. Hopefully, similar projects will become commonplace and raise Philadelphia to the top of the list.

As rising Seniors, we are actively looking for ideas for our Senior Design Project which is why we chose our proposed topic. One competition that is in the field of autonomous housing is the Solar Decathlon Competition. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, collegiate teams design energy-efficient houses entirely powered by the sun that is affordable, attractive and easy to live in [2]. As the name suggests, the decathlon consists of 10 contests: Architecture, Market Appeal, Engineering, Communications, Affordability, Comfort Zone, Appliances, Home Life, Commuting, and Energy Balance. This relates to intelligent building as autonomous housing is creating intelligent features to make everyday living easier.

In our term paper, we will focus on features of autonomous housing as well as relative costs to implement these features into pre-existing homes. One of the greatest challenges I can foresee is not being able to find enough data. For example, we also want to focus on how autonomous homes can assist the elderly or disabled, but there is most likely little to no research on the topic. Using the article Smart homes - Current features and future perspectives [3], we are able to obtain a plethora of data on current features of autonomous housing, but not on the impact of human living.

Despite this, I believe we can construct an exciting and educational term paper.


References:
[1] http://www.keystoneedge.com/features/philadelphiasustainablehousing0620.aspx
[2] http://www.solardecathlon.gov/
[3] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378512209002606

  EDIT: Comments left on Faisal's and A.J.'s original posts.

Group B: Question 2

BIM Improve Buildings vs. It will make no difference or degrade them

Possible degradation?

If people begin to rely on programs, such as Revit, for structural design or analysis without completing the necessary thought and hand calculations supporting the model. The resulting building could degrade or not have the structural strength necessary to withstand day-to-day use.

No Improvement?

The modeling process will be streamlined; however, it may not add any features to the building itself.

Improvement?

BIM could potentially improve the building if it is connected with 3D printing, thus more complex shapes could be created. Furthermore, BIM software could be used for energy analysis and the design improved.

B3: Group B - Schroeder

BIM And Revit - Disadvantages

In the interdisciplinary world that we live in today, various programs are used by Civil Engineering firms depending on their respective design work. Revit is a software application created by Autodesk for architects and building professionals alike designed to support building information modeling (BIM) workflows [1]. Because of the nature of Revit, it is also able to leverage dynamic information into intelligent models which allows for a complex building structure to be stored in a single database file. As already mentioned in a previous post, because of the one file system, complex buildings can be massive files to keep on your hard drive.  Although Revit is a superb and common design tool, there are several disadvantages.  

From an engineering firm’s perspective, Revit requires an investment in both time and money [2]. Time, as it will require hours of training for the current architects to get accustomed to switching to a new program. The monetary effort would be the purchase of all the licenses for the Revit software (which isn’t cheap when compared to other similar programs on the market). Both investments may be combined if there are additional costs associated with training. As most of my fellow groupmates have already posted about the main current problems of Revit, I chose to redirect my focus and compare it to a similar program called ArchiCAD.

ArchiCAD, created by Graphisoft, is an architectural CAD software that can be used on both Macintosh and Windows. When comparing the two programs, ArchiCAD has much more intuitive user interface than Revit, unless you are familiar with other Autodesk products. Graphisoft also created the first real-time BIM collaboration environment so that workflow between members of the design team can work on the project simultaneously [3]. A fellow blogspot user who works for Stantec chimed in on this discussion and how ArchiCAD is superior to Revit when it comes to 2D/3D Modification and Image Management. 

Using the Modify tools in Revit is no simple task, as you can only split one element at a time and cannot select the item first before invoking the command [4]. Using the Trim/Extend tool requires separate multiple cursor clicks while in ArchiCAD, you can extend multiple items at the same time. Revit also has a huge disadvantage when it comes to Non-CAD/BIM File Image management. Although insertion is approximately the same in both programs, the image in Revit is now embedded and static where you cannot change the linked path. ArchiCAD had handle a plethora of File Formats of inserted images; however, Revit is only able to handle BMP, JPG, JPEG, PNG, and TIF. 

In conclusion, when compared to Revit, ArchiCAD is superior in terms of modifications of elements. Despite all of this, Revit is widely used in engineering firms across the nation.

References:
[1] http://www.edulearn.com/article/what_is_revit_architecture.html [2] http://www.trustitllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Trust_Autodesk-Revit1.pdf [3] http://www.graphisoft.com/archicad/archicad/overview/ [4] http://scotthmackenzie.blogspot.com/2013/03/archicad-vs-revit-2d-3d-modification.html

EDIT: Comments left on Mark's and  Cathlene's original posts. 

B2: Group B - Schroeder

BIM Handbook: Chapter 3  - Interoperability

According to Merriam-Webster, interoperability is defined as “the ability of a system to work with or use the parts or equipment of another system” [1].  In terms of BIM, it is the process of exporting/import data between applications that describe the same object. The National BIM Standard (NBIMS) is being undertaken to standardize the data required for particular exchanges [2].     

As described in Chapter 2 there are three types of BIM Applications: as tools, as platforms, and as environments. Using interoperability, you can address all three of these but on different levels by means of translation. Using BIM’s in-place tools, the user is informed of the results of the translation in case and of the copying needs to be checked for due diligence. Again, all this depends on the nature of the exchange format used.

2D CAD is one of the simplest exchanges and most common exchange format used and even then is there are different applications, specifically pairing design with monetary billing and breakdown of materials. During my time at PWD as a co-op, although there are paired programs to calculate these quantities, I had to calculate the engineering estimates by hand. When the design was initially submitted, the links to the quantities may have be working, but in most cases, when the design was modified, the program link between the two was not always updated properly. Once the schema and schema language are defined, the exchanges between programs can be classified in three ways: direct links, proprietary exchange format, or public product data model exchange format [2]. 

Going back to 2D vector formats, the common AEC Applications would be .DWG (AutoCAD) to .DGN (Microstation). At my most recent co-op in the private sector, I had a lot of work that involved converting between the two for various details and cross sections. Although a tedious process, overall it is effective in translating the same information into a different application format. Most times I ended up following the process that AutoDesk includes on their website forum [3]. To perfect this process, places like the IFC have come to fruition.

The IFC or Industry Foundation Class is a schema that was developed to define data format for a more consistent process and make data exchange easier. In the most current version (2010), there over 800 entities, 358 property sets, and 121 data types that can be easily used in any AEC application.  Trying to reflect the plethora of intricacies using in building information is no easy task, but I believe the IFC is off to a great start.

              

References:

[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interoperability

[2] Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2008. Web.

[3] https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-2010-2011-2012/convert-dwg-to-dgn/td-p/2622921


EDIT: Comments lefts of Kai's and Cathelene's orignal post

B1: Group B - Schroeder

BIM:

I personally know very little about BIM and its uses, so I chose to stick with a basic application rather than a current project in the field. BIM, or Building Information Modeling, is an intelligent model-based process that allows the user to design, plan, and construct infrastructure. For example, in the field of transportation BIM was used to develop early design plans for a transportation route that includes constructing a new bridge using infrastructure workflows. Without BIM, it would have made the project much more costly to develop multiple alternatives. There are a plethora of uses of BIM and I am excited to learn more as this class progresses.  

3D Printing:

In June 2015, a leading company in the field of 3D printing, WinSun Global, announced that they are planning to 3D print an entire office building in the heart of Dubai. The 2,000 square foot building, interior walls, and furniture will be printed on a 20-foot tall 3D printer which will be assembled on the build site. To fabricate the various intricacies of the structure, three main materials will be used: Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GRG), Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP), and Special Reinforced Concrete (SRC). This differs from their other previous 3D printed apartment in China, as they will printing everything on-site rather than print single walls and shipping them to the build site. Through the use of 3D printing, it is expected to reduce labor costs by 50-80% and construction waste by 30-60%.

Structures:

PaperBridge is exactly what the name suggest: it is entirely constructed out of 22,000 sheets of paper without the use of glue or any other fixings in the Lake District area in England. This is a temporary piece of work created by artist Steve Messam which was open to the public until mid-May of last year. The overall design relies of the architectural principles most commonly used in dry-stone walls. The 4.5 tons of paper is sturdy enough to support the weight of any brave walkers and their four-legged companions across the 5 meters long bridge. Once the bridge is closed and dismantled, the paper will be pulped and recycled. Please see the third link listed below for all of the wonderful pictures of this structure.

Future/Summary:

The basics of BIM and the two structural examples above are just scratching the surface on the capabilities of technological innovation in our world. As a global community, we are constantly learning the opportunities that 3D printing and other technologies can do to make our work more efficient and less costly.

**EDIT: Comments for Group B posted on Cathlene's  and Bryan's individual posts.

Works Referenced: 

• http://www.autodesk.com/solutions/building-information-modeling/infrastructure
• http://3dprint.com/77550/dubai-3d-printed-office/
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3075622/But-walk-Lake-District-bridge-no-glue-bolts-fixings-22-000-sheets-PAPER.html

Group B Discussion Post - Week 1

After watching the videos, we can see 3 main changes. The first is an increase in speed in the drone's movement, and a more fluid travel throughout it's path. The second was a better coordination between the drones, as often times, both drones were working to create the same section, and interacting with one another to create sections. Thirdly, the drones had the ability to work in a changing environment; unlike the first, where the structure is more stable, the drones were able to work with a swaying rope which did not always have a defined position.

These tools may be applied in the future in more unknown or unsafe environments, where human interaction is more difficult. The increase in speed makes the use of drones more applicable than before.

Schroeder Introduction

Hello all, my name is Danielle Schroeder and I'm a Junior BS/MS in Civil Engineering. I love the Eagles (though they disappoint time and time again) and play tennis in my free time. Through school, I am currently the President of Society of Women Engineers and the Vice President of ASCE. What I want to get out of this class, AE-510, is a better understanding of building systems and the current innovations in the field. Personally, I would define intelligent buildings as a structure constructed without the use of human labor, as shown in the video at the start of class.

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